The Midst of the Midgardian's
by cinder16
Summary: Loki falls from the bifrost during his final fight with Thor and lands on Earth alone and wounded. Finding himself at the same town that he nearly destroyed, the God of Mischief does his best to lay low until his magic returns, but things happen that stop Loki in his tracks. Inadvertaly helping a mortal, Loki now has to deal with a friend of Thor's human love. (Loki-Darcy loving)
1. Prologue

**(A/N) Yep. I'm back and planning to actually finish this story. I actually wrote it out at work while I was supposed to be watching the machinary. lol. Anyway, I've been reading over my old fics and realized how muched they sucked, but couldn't bring myself to deleting them because of all the nice reviewers I've had over the years. So to fix that, I've decided to work on detailing my fics a bit more. Please escuse my lack of British/Nordic dialougue. I tried. P.S~ I do not own any of the characters, Marvel does. I just own this specific story and make no money out of it. **

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"**LOKI**!"

Thor bellowed as he held his brothers spear over the crumbling remains of the bifrost.  
This spear was luckily the only thing separating the two men. Without out it, Thor feared that he wouldn't be able to pull his brother from the cold darkness that threatened to swallow him.

"Brother, hold tight! I will pull you to safety!" The thunderer yelled out as he made an attempt to pull Loki up towards him.

"I am NOT your brother, you pathetic worm!"The trickster god snared with venom as he tried to avoid Thor's hands from clasping onto him. "You have no idea of what I truly am!"

The Asgardian man groaned in protest from his multiple wounds as he tried feebly to get a grasp on his squirming brother. A panic was arising inside of Thor. Their fight has been seemingly endless and he was now starting to pay the price.

"Silence!" He ordered his little brother. "I only mean to help you!"

For a split moment, Loki stilled at those words. That is, until a dark and vicious sneer replaced the placid expression. Thor would have been taken aback by such ferocity by this look in a normal setting, but there was only one thing on his mind. The thunderer was only mere centimeters from touching the thick leather of his younger brother's sleeve when Loki brought the elder man to a literal standstill.

"Help?" Loki asked as if it were a foul word while evading yet another grab at him. "I'll help you alright, _brother_!"

In that mere moment, Thor's nightmares came to light. Loki didn't slip from his grasp, he just let go of the spear that was holding above the remains of the bifrost. Slowly, almost like a bad dream, Thor watched his younger brother plummet into the blackness and swirl of the realms below him. This couldn't be real, this couldn't be happening! Thor couldn't face this. He was losing Jane to become King, he was losing his father to the sleep of ages, and he was losing his _brother_.

In that moment, Thor felt a small part of him cease to exist.

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**(A/N) Short. I know. -_-***


	2. Determination

**(A/N) Bringing up the suspense meter the best that I can. :) Sorry the chapters are so short. It's just the begining of the fic and I have to jump from character to character. Soon, they'll get longer. I promise. **

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The bang and crackle of thunder roared above the recesses of a new world. A world which Loki lay on its surface in a near comatose state. His broken body bled profusely as a hard sheet of rain pounded onto him. It took seemingly forever for the trickster god to stir himself into consciousness. At first his vision was blurred, his body ached, and a terrible cold was invading his senses. It was only after, as his mind began to clear, he remembered what had happened. Thor didn't deserve to rule Asgard, he didn't deserve Odin's love, and yet it was Loki who was lying on his back defeated as it rained upon his broken body.

"Thor…" Loki groaned as pain radiated throughout him like a thousand burning needles. "I will rule Asgard and this bile filled wetland if it's the last thing I do."

The sheer determination of those words willed Loki to force himself from the ground and into a sitting position onto the muddy ground. Even though it pained him greatly, the young god bit back the torturous sensation and glared darkly at the swirling ebony clouds that lined the night sky. Not a moment later, a crack of thunder rippled wildly across the darkened landscape, illuminating Loki's features for a mere instant before being engulfed in the nighttime darkness. Watching the display, Loki's appearance turned grim as he pondered the meaning of these events.

"I must be on Midgard." He thought to himself with a good amount of caution. "This is Thor's domain."

Using just as much caution as he used with his earlier thoughts, Loki slowly stood and took in his surroundings. The glow of the nearby streetlights assured him that not all was in vain. There was still hope that he could exact revenge on Thor and eventually rule Asgard. However, the plot that was forming in his minds-eye was just as flawed as he was at the very moment, if not more.

"GAH!" An involuntary groan of pain erupted from the gods mouth as he took a feeble step toward civilization.

This was just another monkey wrench tossed into his plans. He was hurt badly and couldn't use the appropriate amount of magic to heal such wounds without alerting Heimdall of his whereabouts. DAMN! As Loki's pain ebbed away, he thought of the god with the all seeing eyes. It was dreadful. The god, who used to be guardian of the bifrost, was loyal to the King of Asgard. Heimdall would no doubt alert the King, Thor, if he saw that Loki was alive if not well.

"My day just gets better and better." Loki grinned with a hint of sadistic humor. "I suppose I'll just use my remaining magic to mask my presence then?"

His twisted amusement ebbed away as he felt how much magic he actually had left. It wasn't much, but luckily it was enough to pull the wool over the sheeps eyes as the saying goes. Regrettably, it left Loki without even enough magic to tie his boots. The god grimaced with distaste over his own condition and location. Falling from the sky into a new world was bad enough, but Loki had the fucked up karma of falling right back into the small Arizona town that he had nearly destroyed fighting his brother not a few days before. There was no doubt in his mind that if he didn't lay low, the residents would easily recognize him, especially the one known as Jane. Now that brought a foul taste to the trickster's mouth. Thor's great mortal love, Jane. Oh how he'd love to slip a blade between her breasts and make her beg for his forgiveness. It would hurt his brother so to see his little _mortal_ lover die right before him. It felt like poetic justice or was it sick insanity? He didn't know which, nor did he care. Fortunately, that wasn't his concern at the moment. Surviving was.

"Well, well, well…" Loki once again thought to himself with wry amusement. "I see that if my magic will lend me no aid at a time like this, mayhap my legendary silver tongue will be of some service?"

Warily, he put one foot in front of the other and strode toward the small Arizona town.

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**(A/N) Introducing Darcy next chappie people...and maybe a little fluff around chapter three. I dunno, I haven't decided yet. :P**


	3. The Terror of Love

**(A/N) Time skip! Yep. :D Our little God has been on Earth for a while now. The reasonings for his introduction with Darcy are a little strange. My bad. I couldn't think of a better way to put them together. :/**

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**Two and half weeks later~**

"Oh come on Jane!" Darcy exclaimed in utter frustration as she placed her hands on her hips like a mother hen. "It's only been a few weeks since Thor left and you're still all bummed out."

Jane sighed and ran her fingers idly through her ponytail. She was right, but Jane couldn't bring herself to stop staring longingly at the Facebook picture of Thor that Darcy took when they first met. The goofy, full mouthed smile seemed to warm her heart when nothing else could.

"I know but-"

"No buts." The young brunette girl interrupted with a push of her glasses.

"Thor's a man." Darcy continued by holding up her hand to show she meant business. "He's a stubborn one at that. I should know. He'll come running back real soon so don't get yourself all worried over nothing."

The girl's words reassured the scientist a small bit. He would seriously come back soon, right? Forcing herself away from her laptop and the presence of the only known true photo of the thunder god, Jane took a moment to asses her work station. In other words, it was a mess. She proved it to herself by flicking pop tart crumbs off her keyboard. If Thor was here, there wouldn't be any crumbs. The man was a pop tart fiend, Nyan cat beware. Jane giggled at the thought when she saw him go through an entire box of the things. It was then that she truly felt how the long hours were starting to drag on her senses.

"Hey." Darcy commented, breaking her friend's train of thought. "Why don't you go home and take a nap while I close up shop tonight? You look beat."

The notion was truly sweet. Wait, Darcy didn't do sweet.

"What's the catch?" Jane countered quickly, her brow furrowing in skepticism.

Did some aliens take Darcy and leave a nice version and she didn't know it? Not likely.

"Mom's making me come home early tonight to play nice with my little brothers and have a _family_ meal together."Darcy explained with a shake of her head.

She should have never moved back in with her parents after Thor's antics literally destroyed her apartment on the other side of town. It was like the man was a magnet for destruction.

"She's making a casserole isn't she?" Jane questioned in retaliation, followed by a lazy smile.

Jane knew mom's and knew for a fact that Darcy was trying to weasel her way out of her mom's casserole palooza. It was the woman's favorite and most versatile dish. Especially since it always made Darcy crazy that she ended up having that and leftovers for nearly a week.

"Okay, okay." Jane continued as she watched her friend guiltily run her fingers through her curly dark hair. "Just remember to lock up and say hi to Kitty for me."

With that said, Jane scooped up her car keys, coat, and snuck quickly out the front door to their _research facility._ Darcy let her shoulders finally slump when she heard the front door click audibly closed, signaling that she was at last alone. Truthfully, she needed the break. Between boys, the rebuilding of downtown, and the stress of her family, she was glad for a moments peace. It helped some that the news crews covering the _attack of the gods_ seemed to finally dwindle away, but the kids begging for Thor's autograph had yet to do the same. It was like the attack of the fan girls. The thought of clothing tearing, sex starved women and sometimes men made her laugh. She was still giggling when she had finished cleaning and locked up for the night. She had finally stopped the mental tirade when a cold gust of winter wind blew through the empty street, causing a noticeable chill. Shivering, Darcy drew her thick tan pea coat closer to her body and started walking toward the back parking lot to her truck.

"Is Arizona supposed to get this cold?" She wondered while walking around the building. "It feels like freezer in here."

Darcy stopped only to blow warm air into her palms when she turned the corner. Being distracted, she didn't notice the second truck parked next to her old Dodge until the loud clank of heavy chains broke her concentration. Startled, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw the chipped dark blue paint of the second truck. Who in god's name would be out this late? A shadowed figure soon caught Darcy's eye. The person was standing by the tailgate of the second truck, hidden from the nearby streetlight. They had seemed to have noticed her and closed the tailgate of the truck, causing the loud metal rattling to happen a second time. Just as the rattling died down into the eerie quiet, the man, whoever he was, stepped away from the trucks and right into the bright yellow glow of the streetlight.

"Jake!"Darcy exclaimed in shock.

It was a surprise seeing her ex-boyfriend at time like this. Especially since they broke up weeks ago and he just seemed to disappear after that.

"I loved you." Jake said in a monotone voice, completely devoid of emotion as he stood utterly still under the lights harsh glow.

Darcy was taken aback. What was he talking about? Something was terribly wrong. Jake's dark hair was wild, his eyes were blank, and a thick five o'clock shadow marred his normally smooth features. She watched him curiously, but the slight fear of his unannounced presence still brought a tinge of fear to the current situation.

"I loved you." He repeated, sliding his hands into his jacket pocket to reveal something metallic.

Darcy stepped back slowly. She knew Jake wasn't the smartest man in the world, but would he actually stoop so low to do what she thought he was going to do? I mean, who goes insane after a breakup, seriously? Unfortunately, her suspicions were found out to be correct when Jake flicked his wrist and the metallic object gleamed into the harsh yellow of the nearby streetlight revealing a crude hunting knife.

"I loved you." Jake said, repeating the mantra a third time. "But you just had to keep doing this weather girl crap."

Darcy frowned. She broke up with him because he wanted her to quit apprenticing under Jane and quit college to move in with him and become a friggin housewife, fat chance.

"Jake why did you—"

"Shut up!"Jake yelled, his voice echoing down the empty streets effectively cutting Darcy's question short.

Jake gripped the crude blade in his hands until his knuckles turned white. This was going to end and it was going to end tonight. He was sure of it. Darcy swallowed in terror when her ex took a confident step towards her direction. She stumbled slightly when she backed away. RUN! RUN! The mantra stuck in her head as she found her footing. What was even worse about this situation was that since the clean up began; no one would hardly notice her disappearance and knock it into the cold case file. No fucking way! Darcy refused to let that happen. She took one last sparing glance at Jake and saw that in his other hand he gripped a cheap yellow flashlight. He planned this out! Running east, she darted between the empty streets of downtown and went into the alleyways she knew since she was a delinquent teenager. Luckily, those years of skipping classes were put to good use. With any hope, she would lose him in the twist and turns of the poorly planned city structure and make it either home or to the local police station. Why not just call them using a cell phone, one would ask. Hell, she was thinking the same thing as she took a hard left. Sorry to say, it was hard to fish a cell phone out of skinny jeans running full blast and trying not to trip or run into anything in the process.

"If I get far enough away, I can just call the cops!" Darcy thought as she panted and heaved with the effort of getting as far away from him as humanly possible.

"You're just making it harder on yourself!" Jake's voice echoed down the empty streets.

Darcy continued to run, the long minutes feeling like hours on her tired body. Luckily, she only spotted Jake's flashlight two times since this began. A good sign, but what would be even better is if she could hit Davis Avenue and get the hell out of here. Luckily, Davis Avenue opened up into the main street where she could easily make it to the police station. It wasn't too far now, she knew it. Just another hard left and she was home free from this whack job!

"Fuck!" Darcy exclaimed loudly when she made the turn.

The business that sat between the alley and the street had put up a ten foot fence with razor wire. Shit couldn't get any worse could it? It felt like some crazy person was fucking with her world **(lol. Me.)** and she didn't like it. In a desperate attempt to escape her crazed ex, Darcy tried to climb the impending fence, but soon found that she didn't have the strength left in her to dare such a feat. Panting and out of breath, she tried to think of another solution.

"Darcy baby?" Jake sang out, his voice bouncing off the brick walls, making it impossible to tell his location. "I know you're here. Where are you hiding?"

Darcy flinched when his voice became clearer. He was nearby. He had to be. Seeing a dank and rusted dumpster, she sank into the darkness and tried to hide. If there was nowhere else to run to, she was going to be damned if she was going to take her so easily. It wasn't long after that the bright beam of Jake's flashlight shown down the alley that she had hidden herself in. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as the echo of her ex's footsteps grew louder and louder. He was here, if not on top of her. She gripped the rusted metal of the dumpster with all her might. It couldn't end like this. It just couldn't!

"What the hell?" Jake said in a sudden outburst.

The sound of another set of feet accompanied Jake's and they didn't sound friendly. Jake's heavy boots stomped hard on the ground along with another much lighter pair.

"She's mine!" Jake yelled out, obviously distraught.

What sounded like a skirmish broke out between Jake and the other unknown person. The fight seemed to escalate for a while and then…..silence…

The only other sound there was Jake's flashlight rolling across the concrete ground soon following a rugged British sounding voice.

"Pathetic."

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**(A/N) Jake's EVIL! Well, not Loki evil, but maybe just a blood thirsty whack job. More info on Loki's reason for helping Darcy coming up soon. Please be nice when I get to the fluff people. I'm a yaoi writer and this is a hetero fic. This is a first for me. **


	4. Two Worlds Colide

**(A/N) Whoot! Finally I was able to sit down and turn this chapter from my notebook into a digital chapter. :D I apologize for the lateness. I rewrote this chapter nearly four or five times before I got it the way I wanted it. At first, this chapter was going to be broke up into two parts, but I thoughts everyone would like to have an extra long chappie instead. Enjoy!**

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**Location: Asgard**

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The bright glow of torches decorating the ornate walls did nothing to alleviate Thor's mood. The light itself flickered and danced across his stern features, as if to try and cheer the Thunderer from his depression. Alas, nothing in all the nine realms could cure him of his misery. Slowly, almost too slowly, the god turned away from the warmth of the torchlight and faced the open balcony overlooking his new kingdom. It was here, in his chambers that Thor took to his grieving. It had been weeks in Midgardian time since the fateful event that marked such suffering. The event itself played through Thor's mind again and again. Each and every detail became clearer and clearer as he tried to understand why. Why had Loki avoided his touch like the plague, why had he turned against his family and friends, and _why by Odin, did he let go_? The thought overwhelmed him. It was then, he slammed his fist into the ancient stone wall by his window and a volt of electricity surged violently through his body, making a light snapping and crackling sound as it danced wildly across his flesh. Luckily, his outburst of anger seemed to calm into a light simmer as he stared at the crumbling stone coating his hand. Thor hoped his anger would quell itself when he was to give audience to Heimdal and his search for Loki. He truly didn't want to anger the all-seeing God when so much was at stake.

"My Lord?" Came a casually monotone voice that Thor instantly recognized.

Thor glanced over his shoulder at the man he was expecting by the door of chambers and gave him a acknowledging nod.

"I have done as you have asked." Heimdal said, taking the cue to continue speaking from the greater god. "Although, the realms you have asked me to search are vast and hold large amounts of unknown magic, I have managed to clear at least three of them from our search. Sire, we can safely rule anyplace on Asgard, Helheim, and Jotenheim out of the search."

Thor gave a saddened nod at the information he was hearing from the dark skinned god.

"That only leaves us to search the realms of Rotara, Salow, Omeda, Kentaheim, Evaro, and Midgard."

The thunderers shoulders slumped when he heard Heimdal finish his report. He was searching for magic in the other realms, but something bothered Thor. Loki was surely prone use magic for nearly everything, but if he couldn't find his magic signature. Then-

"Do not worry so much, my Lord." Heimdal immediately said, breaking Thor's depressing thoughts. "Nothing escapes my sight."

Thor turned toward Heimdal and looked into his golden, swirling gaze. He had never questioned the power of the all-seeing eyes before, but he couldn't help himself.

"Perhaps a change in scenery would help you ease some of the stress of your predicament." The all-seer suggested, never breaking eye contact with the skeptical Thunderer.

Thor instantly took a step back from the lesser god and furrowed his brow in rage. Was his friend suggesting he just ignore the possible danger his dear brother could be in lieu of his duties. What a preposterous notion!

"Don't misunderstand me, Thor." Heimdal argued. "Bottling these feelings are not doing you any good. It is the same as Loki. The longer-"

"Silence!"

"You know not what you speak!" Thor roared, turning his wrath onto the smaller man in front of him. "You may see all with those eyes of yours, but you do not know all! What would you know of Loki?!"

The dark skinned god kept silent under Thor's tirade, his glowing, golden gaze staring steadily at the other man before deciding to answer him.

"What I know." He stated, unafraid of his Lord's wrath. "Is that I may understand Loki's actions until now."

Thor paced his chambers nervously, no longer able to stand his argument with the other god. He ran a large, battle scarred hand through his loose blonde hair to try to ease his frazzled nerves.

"If I may elaborate." Heimdal continued in a more relaxed tone. "After you, Loki, and the Warriors Three left to Jotenheim, something became apparent to your dear brother. Loki found that he was unharmed from the Jotun's touch. Becoming frightened and confused over this, he wanted answers. When you returned to Asgard, Odin was angry at the possibility of a war and Loki had watched from the sidelines as you and Odin had argued. Through all of this, your brother didn't want to be part of this upcoming battle. It is true that you have been long since humbled by your mortality in Midgard, but at the time you were rash and battle happy. I think that Loki saw this as a terrible beginning for the new King of Asgard or a king of any kind. During your exile in Midgard, Loki came to Odin with questions of his time in Jotenheim. By then, the truth was out. Of course, that is the time that your father fell into an Odinsleep. Angered by the betrayal of his kind, Asgard's loyalty to you, and other such dilemma's, Loki may have lost himself in the quest in the utter power and tried to rule as a bitter king himself. I daresay, his intentions were food at first, but I suspect the shock of his heritage may have made him lose sight of what it means to be a true king."

Thor stopped moving about his chambers as he quietly listened. The answers seemed so obvious now. That was why he tried to keep him mortal during his exile in Midgard and this was why he had lied about Odin's death all those months ago, but something still bothered him. Why did Loki let go of instead of letting himself be pulled up to safety? At least then, Thor would know he was alive and safe. Thor shook his head to clear his mind from the pain from a newly formed headache. Everything just seems to get more and more complicated. Heimdal, himself, couldn't agree more. The stress was also wearing on the all-seer's nerves. Mentally, the lesser god sighed tiredly at the thought of having to soon search the other worlds for the Prince of Lies. It was surely to be a long night, especially with an impatient Thunder God breathing down ones neck.

"Perhaps a trip to Midgard will lift your spirits?" Heimdal suggested casually. "I'm sure Jane would welcome a visit."

The all-seer admitted the idea was a bit brash and not too well thought out, however, friends in another realm tend to do wonders in easing old pains. Looking up at his King, the lesser god saw the uncertainty in the other mans eyes. It of course, was to be expected. Thor of course, seemed unsure of this option. The biforst was destroyed. How could they even travel now that it was a pile of rubble?

There are more ways besides the bifrost to travel. It was just eh most direct." Heimdal supplied easily as he saw Thor's questioning stare.

Wordlessly, the god argued and turned away from his old friend and guardian to prepare for his journey.

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**Location: Midgard**

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"Pathetic." Loki hissed harshly as he stood over the fallen Midgardian man.

It was true that his desperation would lead him to this, but something about this situation marveled him. How can the leading race of this realm be so intolerably simple, not to mention crazy? The God of Mischief had to restrain another sigh of frustration when the light tube Midgardian's refer to as a flashlight rolled to a stop at his feet. The offending object tapped against his ruined boots and illuminated his lower half with bright light. He hated this world and everything about it. Although, thinking it over, he supposed that such an object may prove useful in the following days being in this wretched world. Looking down at the fallen man, Loki supposed the only thing left to do was claim whatever else this fool had to offer, then he'd be on his way with more pressing matters. Reluctantly, the god bent down to retrieve the flashlight, being careful not to aggravate his slowly healing injuries. He certainly didn't want a repeat of the last time he was foolish enough to ignore these pains. The dried blood still staining his palms proved how delicate his situation really was. Perhaps, facing Thor and all of Asgard would have been easier than surviving this world? Thor, the dolt, would have least not let him suffer such heinous pains in lieu of a fitting punishment for his crimes. No, the moron would have most likely let him go after a few centuries of isolation. The thought proved tempting, but sadly, he couldn't change the past. That he was certain.

"Loki?" A quivering feminine voice asked, immediately putting the god on guard.

Loki jerked towards the remnants of the rusted out dumpster. Lost in his thoughts, he forgot about his preys, prey. He assumed the frightened lamb of a woman would have escaped by now. Realizing this surroundings and the metal fence blocking the only other exit, the woman would have likely hidden in hopes of surviving this hunt. Oh, those pitiful Midgardian's. Her presence normally wouldn't have bothered him, but her words did. She had recognized him.

"What do you want, wench?" Loki asked, his tone imposing a bitter distrust.

Without the aid of his magic, he could almost feel the woman flinch as she cautiously showed herself to him. For a moment, he stared openly at her, being sure keep his powerful, if not dangerous, appearance in check. Her appearance, however strange as it sounds, caught his attention. He observed how the woman's dark, but still slightly curled hair was disheveled, her cheeks pink from exertion, and her eyes slightly riled behind her square shaped glasses, easily expressing her fear and curiosity.

"I…..Did you….?" She stuttered in a half formed question.

It took a moment to register what she had meant. Loki for the second, was distracted by her, losing himself in a memory of the only times he had seen a woman in this state, no doubt the other causes being of pleasure, not of fear.

"Not yet." Loki answered bitterly. "I haven't finished with him if that's what you mean. I don't want blood on my new coat."

The god spared a glance to the green coat Jake was wearing. The woman's body language eased as he gave his explanation. Was she seriously relieved that he had only rendered the fool unconscious instead of dead.

"Thank you." She breathed out, taking a small step toward him.

Her relief made him tense. He'd never seen a person be glad to see him like this. It was unnerving to simply see the fear in her eyes change to something akin to joy.

"Do not thank me, mortal." He argued. "I will kill him. I just want my prize first."

He watched the woman's newfound peace turn to distress.

"You can't kill him!" She blurted out.

A wave of frustration and pity surged through Loki. Don't kill him?! Trusting his powers as a god, he strode up to the foolish girl, leaving only mere inches between them.

"You're mad!" Loki almost yelled at her rage. "Do you honestly believe he'd do the same for you?!"

He glared angrily down at her much smaller form, his anger building. He didn't know why he started arguing with her. He didn't give a damn about her or her world. He just wanted a hot meal and a bath. Oh how he missed such pleasantries as a wash in this dank place.

"I know." The woman said, avoiding his gaze. "It would just make you and me both like him if we killed him."

Loki's lip twitched, revealing a sharp white fang for an instant. In a metaphorical sense she was right. As an Asgardian, ahem, Jotun, she was so wrong it was laughable.

"No." Loki said with such coldness there was surely ice in his veins. "It's kill or be killed. It's survival. This is not a choice you can make."

The woman looked up at him in shock. Somehow, somewhere he thought he had seen this girl before. He relished these looks when he invaded Midgard. He could almost place her, but no matter how silver his tongue claimed to be, he couldn't find her name.

"Woman." Loki tried again, attempting comfort. "I do what I must. Go home. Forget this night, forget me."

Her brown eyes stared into his green, unsure of his motives. This kindness left the god of mischief on edge. Kindness was something he rarely used unless it was against the lower races. The honesty of this new craft, made Loki's stomach turn nervously. He felt weak, emotionally as well as physically doing such things. He despised this feeling and the woman who made him feel it.

"Loki." She said, her beautiful brown eyes growing wide in utter shock."Look out!"

As the last word fell from her lips, his world turned upside down. Out of pure instinct, he shoved her away from him and attempted to move as a new pain tore into his upper back. The pain, roared through his tender senses painfully. Loki gasped, a wet, gurgling sound reaching his ears.

"She's fucking mine!" An outraged Jake screamed.

The God of Mischief stumbled back a few steps, eyeing the thick blood covering the hunting knife Jake held fisting in his grip. Fuck! Loki cursed himself. He had left himself get caught up with that woman and utterly forgotten the insane fool he had taken down earlier, certainly, not one of his best displays of intellect.

"Loki!" The girl screamed out in fear of his safety.

The young god swallowed back the thick blood threatening to choke him. Now, he was pissed. That fucker wasn't going to live, no matter how much that bitch spewed philosophy at him.

"Die!" Jake screamed, eyes wild as he attempted a second lunge at the god.

The speed of the deadly weapon was almost too fast to see, but for a god….

"Go to _Hel_!" Loki barked out at the last possible second, his hands glowing a bright green as he made his own strike at the mortal man.

True to his words, Jake's body engulfed itself in Loki's glowing magic and the charred scent of sulfur and hot metal filled his senses, leaving a vaguely human shaped ash mark smeared on the cement ground. This was great for both Loki and the woman. The battle was over, but something was wrong. This came into a horrible reality, when Loki's vision began to blur and his body felt like it felt like it belonged to someone else. Unwillingly, he dropped to his knees as wracking coughs forced him into submission. A feeling of cold washed over him. By Odin, what has he done?!

**(A/N) To not confuse anyone, the reason I didn't use Darcy's name in this chapter was because it was written mostly from Loki's point of view. Oh, one more thing. Please review!**


	5. Survival or Suicide

**EDIT:** Chapter four has been rewritten because I'm a derp. I didn't like how the original turned out and I was having writers block at the time so I replaced it with this version. Also, Thor will be making an appearance in the next chapter. Ps~ I'm usually a smut writer so be warned that there may be some graphic content between characters somewhere in this story and yes I mean detailed sex scenes.

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_Darkness_

It was consuming the young God like the plague. There was no escape from the shadows that rimmed his vision and dared to pull him under. _Fuck!_ Loki couldn't think of another word to say to describe the pain piercing his back and chest. How could he be so reckless as to drop his guard around an enemy? By Odin, it couldn't possibly get any worse than this, can it?

"Hold on! I'll call 911!" Darcy yelled, her voice frantic.

Loki's vision cleared slightly as he spared a quick glance at the auburn haired woman kneeling next to him. Oh Lords, he didn't need this stress.

"N-No!" He all-but screamed between yet another bout of rattling coughs.

Darcy stared at the man with wide eyes. She hadn't expected him to say no.

"But your-" She tried to argue before getting cut off mid-sentence.

"Get away from me!" Loki nearly yelled, cutting her off mid-sentence while he swiped his arm out at her for emphasis.

She jumped back, almost dropping her phone. She had never seen anyone be so defensive before, not even Thor. Even he never acted so primal while he obviously needed help, especially when everyone thought he was just a crazy bum.

"There has to be a way through to him." She thought worriedly. "If I can calm him down, then I could-"

A loud thump, snapped Darcy from her thoughts almost instantly. She jerked towards the fallen God with one single thought. _Oh shit._

* * *

Several Hours later

* * *

Darcy was royally pissed. It took her nearly thirty minutes to drag, _literally drag_ Loki back to the lab. She thanked God that she was only a few blocks away. There was no way she could manage to take him anywhere else in this shape. She thought for a moment of actually taking him to a hospital. Oh lord, how would she explain this to the doctors and nurses.

"What am I thinking?" Darcy exclaimed loudly, talking to no one in particular as she paced the lab floors. "I can't just say 'Hi. Meet the man who destroyed our little town. Don't worry, he doesn't bite.' "

She continued to pace and yelling at God knows who out of frustration. There was no easy way to explain this to anyone, especially Fury. She suppressed a sudden shiver at the thought of the Leader of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Right after Thor left to Asgard, the one eyed bastard popped up and said '_work for us or die.'_ That man had no idea how to treat a lady.

"God damn it!" Darcy yelled, running her hands through her dark hair.

The frustration was driving her to the edge. She had just locked up the lab and sent Jane home and _THIS_ happens! In a way, she was glad for him, but damn it! She didn't want to take the rap for a rouge God, especially one who just about everyone wants dead or in prison. There was no telling what Fury was going to do with her. She just hoped it didn't have anything to do with that red headed woman that he called the Black Widow. Man, she was scary. With a lengthy sigh, Darcy collected herself and sat down on the edge of the pull out futon that Jane bought for long nights in the lab. The mattress squeaked underneath her, adding to the already heavy weight of the God lying prone next to her.

"What am I going to do about you?" She asked, turning toward Loki, clearly not expecting an answer from him.

Honestly, the man didn't move or say much since she had brought him to the lab. It worried her a little. He hadn't moved even when she had to maneuver him to tie the makeshift bandages around his chest and shoulder.

"Geez…" She breathed, taking a second to continue her rant. "For a guy who has so much fight in you, you sleep like a rock."

She stared at him, looking for a change, something to show that he heard her. Nothing. She sighed yet again. This was becoming a bad habit. There was no way that she could handle him when he woke up. The guy blasted Jake into oblivion and there was no telling what he'd do once got back on his feet_. Probably try to take over the world again, duh._

"What if I just-" Darcy optioned, when her eyes skimmed over some of Jane's pointy tools lying around.

She shook her head. No way! That'd be how Jake would handle it. Besides, Thor would destroy the city himself if he found his brother dead. Maybe if she'd just call Fury and get him to handle this, things would go so much smoother. He'd have ways to handle this kind of thing, right? Darcy flipped open her phone and stared at the picture of Thor she'd saved as her background picture. She slipped her thumb over the speed dial for her new boss, Director Fury. She toyed with the button thinking of actually pressing it and how she could explain this little dilemma. Luckily, fate had other plans for her. A little icon magically lit up the screen of her phone and the options 'answer' and 'ignore' flashed under the name Fury. Holy crap, he knows! She swallowed nervously and pushed the answer button. Worse things would happen if she ignored the call, she just knew it.

"H-hello?" Darcy answered, nervousness cracking her voice.

"Lewis." Fury stated in his in-control voice. "A few weeks ago, another anomaly happened and I want you and Jane Foster to investigate it. Our normal channels state that it's not any average storm or meteorite shower. I want you both on it by 8am and a report on any finds by 6pm, got it?"

Darcy sat there with her jaw dropped. It was just work calling. Fury didn't know squat about Loki? Oh shit, she officially knew more than Fury did, right now!

"Lewis?" Fury asked, a tinge of concern edging his voice. "You there?"

"Yup!"

_Yup? _What was she, some 12 year old kid?

"Good. Now get some sleep. 8am comes early."

The light click of the phone hanging up made her relax. God, that was stressful. She still had goose bumps from Fury's pure supremacy and official CIA tone. Wait one second, that wasn't Fury, it was her personal spidey-senses tingling. A cold arm quickly snaked its way around her throat. The person holding Darcy jerked her roughly onto the futon mattress, forcing her to drop her cell phone and gasp in surprise. A heavy weight quickly settled onto her shoulder and hips, effectively pinning her down. She laid flat on her back completely unable to do anything, but stare up at who held her captive.

"Where am I, woman?" The dark haired God snarled, clearly not the unconscious victim anymore.

Darcy gasped at the pressure he was putting on the areas he was pinning her down at. It hurt to have his harsh hands pressing down into her pressure points. It felt like knives were pressing into her skin.

"Get off me!" She screamed, desperately clawing at his arms in an attempt to relieve some of the harsh treatment.

"Not until I get answers! What have you done to me?"

He pressed harder still, causing Darcy to grip his forearms and gasp at the added pressure.

"I took you back to the lab!" She yelled at him in desperation. "You didn't want a hospital! This was the only place I could think of!"

He then let up and stared into the girls fearful eyes to try and see if she was lying to him. For a moment, he wondered if he had went a step too far. Human's weren't very smart or durable, but that didn't stop him from being a little bit more careful than usual around them considering the fool he had sent to Helheim was still as fresh in his memory as the wound mark on his back.

"Fine." He finally answered, the viciousness in his composure ebbing away as he got removed himself from her. "I'll let you live-this time."

Darcy coughed and scowled at the God of Lies as she forced herself to stand up next to him. How dare he damn near kill her?

"You ass!" She yelled, slapping him roughly across the face.

Loki stilled, staring down at Darcy, meeting her angry amber eyes. He swallowed shallowly, attempting to corral his own burning rage from her outburst as she glared back, evidently not happy about his reaction to her strike.

"How dare you nearly kill me!" She yelled, swinging at him a second time.

A surge of new emotion welled inside of the young God. He wondered idly if it was his sadistic side showing or the adrenaline pumping through his veins, but one thing was for certain, this girl had fire and he liked it.

"Stop." He whispered provocatively, catching her hands in his and holding them down against her sides. "I tire of this, charade."

Darcy snarled, staring up at him. She took a breath to yell some more, but was stopped yet again.

"I apologize for overreacting." He stated simply, pulling her flush against him to avoid any other unwanted damage from the little feisty woman. "You do not understand my circumstances. I wouldn't allow things to play out as they had if I knew what was to befall me this day."

Darcy leaned her head down, almost burying it in his bandaged, but nearly bare chest. What was he saying, more so, what was he doing?

"Let go!" She barked, her face flushing slightly at the unwarranted contact.

Defying her words, Loki braced his arms tighter around her body, followed by a sly grin.

"Why ever would I do that?" He asked calmly, but still holding a challenging tint.

Darcy's brow furrowed. She didn't like Loki's new game. He kept bouncing from angry to playful and it made her wonder if he had hit his head when he passed out in the alley.

"Well?" The God asked in annoyance after a few short moments of strained silence.

Darcy bit her lip thoughtfully. There was no simple answer to this puzzle. Maybe if she was Tony Stark, she could just smart ass her way out of this situation? Nah. Too much work and by the way Loki went about, the playboy philanthropist attitude would just set him off.

"Because." She drawled out slowly, trying to conjure a coherent thought as to why he should release her. "Because you owe me."

A loud, deep set laugh erupted from deep in the God's bandaged chest. The sheer comicalness of her words reflected on his face with such intensity that Loki had to stop for a moment lest not to aggravate his quickly healing stab wound.

"You amuse me, woman." He chuckled, wiping a stray tear of joy from his eye. "You believe I owe you, of all creatures?"

She tensed. He was laughing at her!

"Shut up!" Darcy barked crudely while standing her ground. "One-I dragged your sorry ass out of the alley earlier, two-I wrapped and cleaned up your wounds, and three- my name is DARCY, not woman, DARCY!"

Loki's joking attitude sobered into a much calmer state as he listened to her list off her frustrations. He wouldn't dare admit it, but the girl-erm, Darcy was right. As a prince of Asgard, he refused to acknowledge such low bred creatures as meaningful beings. He'd lived through many mortal lifetimes and saw how each and every one had began, lived, and ended. Truly he didn't see the cycle ending anytime soon, but still wondered how Thor could put his heart on his sleeve and act like an inter-realm activist. These creatures only responded to violence and strength. That was why he had decided to rule with an iron fist once he found out of his heritage. The Jotun race do follow the same rules of logic after all.

"Fine." Loki answered after giving her some time to cool down. "You are right, Darcy. I will not call you by the title woman any longer. It is the least I can do for the temporary aid."

Darcy was taken aback by his change in tune toward her. He acted more bi-polar than Jake was, if that was even possible. During her confusion, Loki lowered his arms from around her body and lifted the stripped remains of his leather coat from the floor. He carefully shrugged on the ruined leather and turned toward the exit.

"Rest easy, wo—Darcy." He said, catching the momentary glitch in his words. "I will be taking my leave now and you can return to your Midgardian lifestyle as it was."

In almost a panic, Darcy reached out and grabbed Loki by the wrist of his shredded trench coat, effectively stopping him in his tracks.

"No. You can't." She explained in a rush. "If you go back out there, someone from S.H.I.E.L.D. is bound to see you. There was a new anomaly recently and there's a ton of agents flooding the town looking for what caused it."

Realization dawned from her own words as she stared up at the fallen God. It was him! He made the anomaly just like Thor did the first time he came to Earth. Shit! Fury was going to have her head on a silver platter if he ever found out that Loki, the God of Lies-the destroyer of towns-was back on Earth.

"I assure you that I couldn't care less for this S.H.I.E.L.D., as you call it." Loki argued simply. "I just was to leave this place in order to regain my magic and return to ruling Asgard _without_ my meddling brother."

Darcy could sense the small bit of truth he was telling, but a large chunk of what he wasn't saying actually said volumes for the man. What she did know about him, she knew that he wouldn't stop until he ruled all what was it—nine realms? No wonder, Thor had literally drag him back to Asgard. He was like an immortal Nepolian Bonapart. Simply, he was a conqueror.

"Just, no." She argued back, oddly worried for his well-being. "You're hurt and in pretty bad shape. I can't in good conscious let you run back out there in public and cause more of a stir. Eventually, word will get back to Fury that you're here and we'll all be screwed."

Darcy stared up at the dark haired man with determination that she didn't quite feel herself. She was usually somewhat distant with all the men she met and dated because of the emotional strain, i.e., Jake for example. That was one of the reasons she didn't go all womanly when he was blasted. The bastard was crazy and deadly, but looking up at a real flesh and blood God that was damn near proven to be certifiably insane, she felt strangely at ease. Not to say that Loki wasn't capable of killing someone. He just didn't give off that _I'm going to kill you if you look at me wrong _vibe. His stare was cold, educated, and somewhat guarded. She'd seen the same look from her Dad when she was sixteen and wanted to take the car by herself after just getting her drivers license. Darcy twinged at the thought of how similar her father and Loki could be. It wasn't like she was comparing the two of them on purpose, they just fit together like peanut butter and chocolate, so different, but so much alike.

"What do you believe I should do then?" He asked, breaking Darcy's inner dialogue.

"I'll…"She stuttered. "I'll just have to take you home. Fury won't be looking for anomalies there, right? Well, unless you count Mom's casserole palooza an anomaly then…..."

Loki raised a well manicured dark eyebrow at the girl. He didn't understand palooza, anomaly, or casserole, but he hoped it wasn't anything to horrific. Considering his options and pride, options won out. He swallowed back his princely pride and honor and nodded at the small woman. At least this way, he could recuperate in a safer and much cleaner dwelling. Then, he could simply leave this mud-ball planet and come up with a plan to finally rid himself of the hammer wielding Asgardian King. Without further ado, Loki allowed the dark haired woman to lace her fingers into his and guide him to the clunky contraption she called a truck.

* * *

**(A/N) I've lost and found my story notes on this fic. I realized I wrote them VERY VERY vaugely and this story is most likely to derail into something from my morbid imagination as it's written. Any ideas of little parts or directions in this fic are welcome. Especially since I plan to make a lot of almost meetings between Thor and Loki. Any good comedy bits, someone let me know. I need the practice in humor. :D**


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